Politics & Government
Work Yet To Resume on Wickford Road Bridge This Spring
MassDOT and contractor are having issues and it unknown when work will re-start on the bridge that has been closed since March 2013.
Framingham Selectmen Chair Charlie Sisitsky told his fellow board members Tuesday night he has been reading emails that indicate the state and the contractor are having issues; and thus no work has begun on the Saxonville bridge yet this spring.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is overseeing the $7 million bridge repair project, that has seen delay after delay. The bridge was closed on March 18 in 2013.
Originally, the bridge was only to have been closed for 4 months.
"In order to minimize construction duration, the three-span Wickford Road Bridge will be closed during construction, and traffic detoured. BETA designed the replacement superstructure to maintain the existing hydraulic opening and roadway profile, as well as to be installed quickly, by using continuous rolled steel beams and full-depth precast concrete deck panels. The use of the precast panels will allow the installation of the deck to be completed in a fraction of the time required for a traditional cast-in-place concrete deck."
MassDOT reasons for the completion of the bridge ranged in 2013 from delays in construction of the the steel bridge beams to the asphalt plants closing in December for the season to weather issues.
Back in February, weather permitting, the state will begin work on the bridge in March and it should re-open in April, said Framingham Engineer William Sedewitz to Framingham Selectmen.
Sisitsky said a bonding company now may be involved, and he did not know when bridge work will resume.
But bad news for Saxonville, once the Wickford Bridge is completed, the Central Street bridge will be closing - and the same contractor who is working on the Wickford Bridge won the bid for the Central Street bridge project for MassDOT.
In February, Sedewitz said MassDOT plans to close the Central Street bridge "likely in April 2014" and it is "not scheduled to re-open until June 2015."
The delay in the Wickford bridge completion, means a delay in the closing of the Central Street bridge.
"It is 14-month construction schedule," said the town engineer of the Central Street bridge project.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
